South Bend, Ind., Aug 7, 2018 / 18:00 pm
The University of Notre Dame announced that it will not rescind the honorary degree conferred upon Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, whose resignation from the College of Cardinals was accepted July 28 by Pope Francis.
"While the University finds the alleged actions reprehensible and has no reason to question the review board's findings, it recognizes that McCarrick maintains his innocence and that a final decision in the case will come only after a canonical trial in Rome," said Rev. John Jenkins, CSC, president of the university, in an Aug. 2 statement.
The university said that the only honorary degree it had ever rescinded was that of comedian Bill Cosby. Cosby was given an honorary degree in 1990. It was rescinded in April 2018, on the same day Cosby was convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault, charges filed amid allegations that the comedian was accused of numerous acts of sexual assault, rape, and other misconduct over several decades.
"As in the case of Bill Cosby, we will wait until that trial is concluded to take action regarding McCarrick's honorary degree. We strongly urge those involved in this trial to reach a conclusion as expeditiously as possible," the statement read.